Billy thats faith in your own skills which relate to you being able to relax enough in front of a larger person and being able to flow freely and fight in your own zone through being comfortable,that you have created via faith in yourself and your training that is a big part.

Its a circle within /its a circutry created so your engergy mind and matter can flow easier and you fight freely.(it can be the differnce between a fighter who is questioning anything (interuppted) and one who is in the zone.)

Other ways can be reached by going through the circle internally, mentally ,internal visually,then practice pre fight what you know can occur.Thats another circle.

Another is through studying the opponent and using all that knowledge pre fight to build a set of plans.
Not only work on the; he does this /I do that/he reacts /there my opening type of stuff.

But really watch how someone moves,and see if they are only a one sided fighter for instance.

Watch for when they retreat and know that is when they are questioning their own ability.

Know when to make them question their own abilitys and have you plan set to their reaction that you have already observed.

Eg: see if they go low/stay low and waver their head side to side if your throwing straight shots head hunting etc.

Build your plans around the reactions you see them doing as well as their natural style.

Then you can pull out the hat stuff like you throw that combo of straights / he goes under and wavers so your target is doing low U shapes .

Ok you pre seen it already so you set up and follow the path of target by knees bend hip low going lower too and hooking in the pattern of that U shape right through the path of the target ,timed correctly and you can catch him comming back through his own head pattern with a temple shot hook that he runs into .

Whats his reaction to that?

Ok, he folds down pulls a leg right back and goes back out on a 45% angle for escape?
IKnow this! Im already shuffling forwards and choke him down, punching through the openings hes creating in his escape moves so he cant get out that easily. Etc etc you can go on and on.

But if you dont think it first and train it with your sparring partner you'll never do it.

And that is what is the difference between real champions /standout fiighters and the rest who rely on
just the physicalitys and heart.

You can steal any of them two off of anyone if you bring your mind into the circut out of the ring and then in it.

Make them rethink and you can be in the zone and they are interuppted and out of the zone.

Stuff of Champions.